Tag: sleep

• Take a Nap

  According to a new study, napping appears to be associated with a larger brain volume in adults, raising the possibility that it could offer some protection against neurodegeneration. Anthony and Jeff are big fans of naps, and discuss all the ways we need to rethink our society to make them more acceptable. [more]

  July 14, 2023Episodes

• Future Oriented People

  A new study suggests that Future Oriented People - those you act in ways that affect their future states, rather than their current well-being - are happier, more at peace, and better able to sleep at night. Anthony and Jeff analyze this notion and compare it to their own experiences as... well, as people who don't generally live like that. [more]

  April 7, 2023Episodes

• Lightning Seen and Lightning Round

  Scientists have never been able to adequately explain where lightning comes from. Now the first detailed observations of its emergence inside a cloud have exposed how electric fields grow strong enough to create bolts. Jeff and Anthony step through how scientists have been able to record the spark of lightning. Then, Anthony starts his own lightning - a lightning round of headlines! Paralyzing rats, happiness from marriage, celebrity worship, sleeping in space, and more! [more]

  January 21, 2022Episodes

• Awake at 3am and Armageddon was Right

  A new paper by a psychology researcher delves into why so many of us wake up at 3am full of anxiety. It isn't simply stress, but a complex interplay of internal and external processes. Anthony and Jeff talk about that unique time of night, and the KLF. Then, the idea of sending a nuke to an incoming asteroid to save humanity is the stuff of bad popcorn flicks, but what if it actually worked? Jeff and Anthony discuss new research that could make Michael Bay's vision a reality. [more]

  November 5, 2021Episodes

• Sleep Depredation

  A study by University of Manchester researchers has shown for the first time that a bad night’s sleep is associated with suicidal thoughts the next day in people with depression. That data revealed that poor sleep quality and short sleep duration were both associated with higher feelings of suicidal thoughts the next day. In hopefully unrelated news, Jeff just had his second child. [more]

  May 7, 2018Episodes

• Polyphasic Spree (Live From PAX East 2018)

  Around a third of the population have trouble maintaining sleep throughout the night. While nighttime awakenings are distressing for most sufferers, there is some evidence from our recent past that suggests this period of wakefulness occurring between two separate sleep periods was the norm. Throughout history, there have been numerous accounts of segmented sleep, with a common reference to "first" and "second" sleep. Jeff and Anthony hope you can make it all the way through this episode. Recorded live in Boston at PAX East 2018. [more]

  April 9, 2018Episodes